Specter visits

Tuesday

U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless Township, is visiting Israel and the West Bank this week as part of a House Democratic delegation.

According to a statement from his office, Altmire will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and President Mahmoud Abbas.

The American Israeli Education Foundation is sponsoring the trip.

RADIO FREE BEAVER

l U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has included $300,000 in possible federal funding for Beaver County's emergency services radio system in a Senate bill, while U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire has secured $200,000 in a House bill.

l The funding will now be part of negotiations between the House and Senate.

l It will take $2.7 million to fully upgrade the county's emergency radio system.

J.D. Prose

CALKINS MEDIA

BEAVER - U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter toured the Beaver County Emergency Services Center Monday and announced $300,000 in potential federal funding to help replace the county's radio system.

In an interview at The Times after his visit, Specter, R-Philadelphia, said the county has a "special need" for the money because it is home to possible terrorist targets such as the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station in Shippingport and Norfolk Southern's Conway Yards.

In July, U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, D-4, McCandless Township, secured $200,000 for the emergency services center in a House appropriations bill. Now, the Senate and House versions will be negotiated and a final amount will be settled on.

County Emergency Services Director Wes Hill said he expects to receive between $250,000 and $500,000 once all the haggling ends. "It's a big help," he said.

The money will go toward the county's ongoing $2.7 million reconstruction of its radio system, including new towers and base stations. Hill said portions of the system are nearly 20 years old.

Hill said the county is considered at high risk for a terrorist attack because of the nuclear plant, rail yard and a number of chemical plants. "Everything's taken into account," he said.

J.D. Prose can be reached online at jprose@timesonline.com.

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